Ice Cream Van Insurance

What Insurance Does An Ice Cream Van Need?

Ice cream vans always need motor insurance, and they often need employers' liability too. An ice cream van is primarily a vehicle, and for this reason, the most important component of any ice cream van policy and the part that you have to have before even going around the neighbourhood in your ice cream van is the ice cream van insurance which is a form of catering van insurance. This is the only legal requirement for a sole trader ice cream person, although if the business has any employees, employer’s liability will also be required.

Ice cream van insurance is not attained just because it’s a requirement, but because it’s a long term strategy to save money by avoiding large rainy day expenses. That’s why the vast majority of ice cream vans, even sole traders, will have a form of catering policy as well as a motor policy. This can be taken out in conjunction with the motor policy as a package ice cream van policy, or separately, as an ice cream van motor policy and a separate catering van policy.

The most common forms of insurance purchased by ice cream people are:

Are Ice Cream Vans Expensive To Insure?

The cost of an ice cream van insurance policy will vary significantly depending on your van and business. The base cost of a motor policy for your van will likely be upward of £300. This is the minimum amount that you can expect to spend on your ice cream vans should you have a good insurance application, however it is easy for the cost of the motor policy to creep up well over £1,000 when you have a heavy, powerful van with a large engine being driven by a younger, less experienced driver.

With the addition of other standard and non standard cover, the cost of the policy will increase by a few hundred pounds. That will be influenced significantly by what you opt in for, as well as the level of cover on stock and business interruption.

Does Insurance For An Ice Cream Van Usually Cover The Van’s Fixtures And Fittings Too?

Yes, almost all ice cream van insurance packages that go beyond a basic motor policy will either have fixtures and fittings included or as an optional extra. Some comprehensive motor policies will cover a fraction of your fixtures and fittings for theft of personal possessions, but many will not. It’s important to read the wordings of your insurance policy to understand what is covered.

In general, to ensure your fixtures and fittings are covered for not just theft, but other damages and faults, you must get fixtures and fittings insurance, as an add-on to your catering business policy, as it can’t really be included under a motor policy.

Ice Cream Van Package Policies

As mentioned earlier, the policyholder can choose their level of cover. The motor aspect, which may or may not be included in the catering policy, is required. In some cases, the employer's liability aspect, which is always included in the catering policy if the company has employees, is also required. The policies are often fully customisable to suit individual requirements.

There are a lot of standard options that a broker may suggest initially, such as a basic and affordable employers, and public liability catering policy. With this option, the policyholder must arrange a separate motor policy and has left themselves vulnerable to a lot of physical risks, such as flood, fire, theft and accidental damage, as well as any interruption to the business.

On the other end of the spectrum is the combined package policy that will provide comprehensive motor cover. Quotes are available to insure the contents of the ice cream van, including stock, and fixtures and fittings, as well as covering the ice cream van for standard liabilities and business interruption.